comprise

com·prise

1. To be composed of or contain: The staff comprises eight physicians, two dozen nurses, and various administrative people. See Synonyms at include.

2. Usage Problem To compose; make up; constitute: the countries and territories that comprised the British Empire.

[Middle English comprisen, from Old French compris, past participle of comprendre, to include, from Latin comprehendere, comprēndere; see comprehend.]

com·pris′a·ble adj.

Usage Note: The traditional rule states that the whole comprises the parts and the parts compose the whole. In strict usage: The Union comprises 50 states. Fifty states compose (or make up) the Union. Even though many writers maintain this distinction, comprise is often used in place of compose, especially in the passive: The Union is comprised of 50 states. Our surveys show that opposition to this usage has abated but has not disappeared. In the 1960s, 53 percent of the Usage Panel found this usage unacceptable; by 1996, the proportion objecting had declined to 35 percent; and by 2011, it had fallen a bit more, to 32 percent. See Usage Note at include.

comprise

(kəmˈpraɪz)

vb (tr)

1. to include; contain

2. to constitute the whole of; consist of: her singing comprised the entertainment.

[C15: from French compris included, understood, from comprendre to comprehend]

comˈprisableadj

comˈprisaln

Usage: The use of of after comprise should be avoided: the library comprises (not comprises of) 500 000 books and manuscripts

com•prise

(kəmˈpraɪz)

v.t. -prised, -pris•ing.

1. to include or contain: The Soviet Union comprised several republics.

2. to consist of; be composed of: The advisory board comprises six members.

3. to form or constitute: Seminars and lectures comprised the day's activities.

Idioms:

be comprised of, to consist of; be composed of: The sales network is comprised of independent outlets and chain stores.

usage: comprise has had an interesting history of sense development. In addition to its original senses, dating from the 15th century, “to include” and “to consist of” (The United States of America comprises 50 states), comprise has had since the late 18th century the meaning “to form or constitute” (Fifty states comprise the United States of America). Since the late 19th century it has also been used in passive constructions with a sense synonymous with one of its original meanings, “to consist of, be composed of”: The United States of America is comprised of 50 states. These later uses are often criticized, but they occur with increasing frequency even in formal speech and edited writing.

comprise

1. 'comprise'

You say that something comprises particular things when you are mentioning all its parts.

The village's facilities comprised one public toilet and two telephones.

2. 'be composed of' and 'consist of'

You can also say that something is composed of or consists of particular things. There is no difference in meaning.

The body is composed of many kinds of cells, such as muscle, bone, nerve, and fat.

The committee consists of scientists and engineers.

Be Careful!Don't use a passive form of consist of. Don't say, for example, 'The committee is consisted of scientists and engineers'.

3. 'constitute'

Constitute works in the opposite way to the verbs just mentioned. If a number of things or people constitute something, they are the parts or members that form it.

Volunteers constitute more than 95% of The Center's work force.

4. 'make up'

Make up can be used in either an active or passive form. In its active form, it has the same meaning as constitute.

Women made up two-fifths of the audience.

In its passive form, it is followed by of and has the same meaning as be composed of.

All substances are made up of molecules.

Nearly half the Congress is made up of lawyers.

Be Careful!Don't use a progressive form of any of these verbs. Don't say, for example, 'The committee is consisting of scientists and engineers'.

include - have as a part, be made up out of; "The list includes the names of many famous writers"

3.

comprise - form or compose; "This money is my only income"; "The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance"; "These constitute my entire belonging"; "The children made up the chorus"; "This sum represents my entire income for a year"; "These few men comprise his entire army"

Usage: The use of of after comprise should be avoided: the library comprises (not comprises of) 6500,000 books and manuscripts. Consist, however, should be followed by of when used in this way: Her crew consisted of children from Devon and Cornwall.

In their researches into the human frame, it may be that the higher and more subtle faculties of such men were materialised, and that they lost the spiritual view of existence amid the intricacies of that wondrous mechanism, which seemed to involve art enough to comprise all of life within itself.

Finally, though, as will soon be revealed, its contents partly comprise the most delicate oil; yet, you are now to be apprised of the nature of the substance which so impregnably invests all that apparent effeminacy.

It occurred to me that a work of this kind might comprise a variety of those curious details, so interesting to me, illustrative of the fur trade; of its remote and adventurous enterprises, and of the various people, and tribes, and castes, and characters, civilized and savage, affected by its operations.

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.